Spending time in the
company of Haydn’s 12 London Symphonies is really quite
life-affirming. Seen rightly as the very pinnacle of classical
perfection, they can be appreciated on a number of levels:
tuneful, superbly crafted entertainments of the sort that
so obviously appealed to his chic London audience; as forerunners
of the revolutionary Beethoven canon to come; or as the
witty, innovative and often profound late utterances of
a supreme master. Whatever view you take, there really
is something for everyone and every mood in these works.

In
this, the composer’s 200th anniversary year,
a flood of Haydn releases is bound to be forthcoming. Of
course, there is already no shortage of excellent sets
devoted to these 12 symphonies, so when approaching a new
recording it has to be asked ‘do we really need this?’ In
this case, I am inclined to say yes. Howard Shelley has
done sterling work in the field of Classical repertoire
over many years, with recommendable discs of Hummel, Spohr,
Mozart and Clementi to name a few. One of the prized discs
in my collection is a 1986 recording of Mozart Piano Concertos
21 and 24 with Shelley playing and conducting the London
Mozart Players on the budget Pickwick label; it’s such
cultured, stylish and civilised playing that it came as
no surprise when the series was taken over by Chandos at
full price.

He
brings the same attributes to this new set of Haydn Symphonies
with the Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiano, with whom he
has recorded other things and with whom he obviously has
a strong rapport. Stylistically what we get is fairly common
today; modern instruments at modern pitch, but speeds that
are fairly brisk most of the time, rhythms lightly sprung,
hard sticks used for timpani and clear but judicious use
of vibrato on strings and woodwind in a chamber-sized ensemble.
It’s the sort of thing we get from Mackerras, Rattle and
Abbado regularly now, modern versions with more than a
nod towards period practice, and it often represents a
happy medium for many people.

Interestingly,
the two comparisons I had to hand were the classic Colin
Davis ‘modern’ set with the Concertgebouw from the 70s
and 80s, and the period instrument version from Franz Bruggen
and the Orchestra of the 18th Century from the
early 90s, also on Philips and also recorded (live) in
the Concertgebouw. Shelley is much nearer to Davis than
Bruggen and at times, playing them side by side, the timings
were very close indeed. Whether Shelley has been inspired
by the Davis set, I don’t know, but his versions often
sound like subtly different mirrors, with similar tempi
and general phrasing. Of course there are differences,
with Shelley’s orchestra having less fruity, slightly tangier
woodwind, smaller body of strings that are just as sharp
in attack and a more modern, clearer recording which just
allows the last degree of inner detail to shine through.
Perhaps ironically, Bruggen’s period performances sound
more ‘romantic’ in conception, with broader slow introductions
and generally slower minuets, though offset by often hair-raisingly
fast finales. Of course, the period instruments – natural
trumpets, small bore woodwind, hand horns, etc. - do make
a difference, as does a complete lack of vibrato, but his
main advantage is the dividing of his violins. I really
wish Shelley had adopted this, as the wonderful antiphonal
interplay of first and second fiddles is clearly something
Haydn was enjoying exploiting, as in the development section
of the first movement of Symphony 94 ‘The Surprise’ (around
3:34), and the many fugal passages that dot the symphonies.

Still,
once one has got used to the rather ‘safe’ sound world
and Shelley’s basic approach, there is much to enjoy. In
fact, I can’t think of a single real downside that could
upset anyone, unless they are expecting more ‘blatant’ period
practices. All the symphonies are in a major key and have
a slow introduction – except No 98 in C minor – and Shelley
and his band don’t disappoint. The grandeur is there in
spades, and as each ensuing allegro erupts, there
is a wonderful spring in the step that is infectious. It
reminds me of the sort of thing we used to get from Marriner
and the Academy in the old days, and that really is praise.
He doesn’t get quite the sheer racket from his ‘Turkish’ percussion
(actually simply cymbals, triangle and bass drum) as Bruggen
does in the allegretto of the ‘Military’ No.100,
but there are very few other moments where he yields to
the period performances. The miraculous first movement
of No.102 – which some think the greatest of the set – is
beautifully judged, and it’s maybe just the last degree
of tone colour of period wind instruments that I miss.
As mentioned earlier, Shelley’s percussionist does appear
to employ hard sticks, especially noticeable in the famous
opening drum roll that gives No.103 its nickname; he uses
the older-fashioned thinking on dynamics, starting loudly
followed by decrescendo, rather than Bruggen’s soft- crescendo-diminuendo,
though I’m really not sure which is correct, and both sound
effective. Talking of such things, I notice throughout
little touches of ornamentation and dotted rhythms that
aren’t in the Davis and are presumably to do with current
scholarly practice. It’s all very slight but adds to the
general freshness in these readings. Minuets are generally
sprightlier than Bruggen, who is surprisingly lethargic
in quite a few, and along with finales are very similarly
paced to Davis, who himself is a model of good judgement.
A wonderfully natural, unforced and fluent yet vital reading
of the ‘London’ Symphony crowns a very satisfying experience.

This
new set is actually more welcome than I first thought,
sitting as it does comfortably between the more rugged,
highly coloured Bruggen and the style and polish of Davis.
The orchestra is very well caught by the engineers, with
ample bloom and no unnecessary or false highlighting of
instruments. There is an excellent booklet by the ever-reliable
Haydn expert Richard Wigmore and, best of all, Hyperion
are offering the set at budget price, a little over £20.00
for four discs. I also like the fact that the works are
all laid out in numbered order across the discs, unlike
Bruggen and Davis, where the sequence is split up for some
reason. The Davis cycle is cheaper and still an obvious
rival but the sound is not as rich or detailed, and the
Bruggen appears unavailable at present. It is a very crowded
market but I reckon Hyperion deserve to do well with this
one.

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